Politicians supported TikTok ban, but used app to win elections

Despite advocating for a potential TikTok ban that’s under judicial review, politicians turned to the platform to boost their chances in 2024 elections.

Despite advocating for a potential TikTok ban that’s currently under judicial review, politicians of all stripes turned to the platform to boost their chances in the 2024 election.

At least 49 members of Congress, five officials in President Joe Biden’s administration and President-elect Donald Trump have verified TikTok accounts, according to an analysis by NBC News. Twenty-three of the 49 members of Congress voted for the “TikTok ban.” Many of these politicians have used TikTok to campaign, defend their beliefs and curate their public image — even as they argue that the app poses a threat to American users.

The presence of American politicians on the app who actively campaigned or voted for the potential ban highlights a thorny reality: Despite their claims that TikTok poses a national security risk, the app remains a primary source of media for a significant portion of their constituents. Recognizing this, many have leveraged TikTok’s massive reach to bolster their re-election campaigns, despite criticism of similar types of political hypocrisy, from the use of dark money to advocacy around early voting and voting by mail.

Cheyenne Hunt, an attorney and a former Democratic congressional candidate in California who has worked on big tech regulation in the U.S. Senate and has over 100,000 TikTok followers, described the use of TikTok to reach people “where they are” while also advocating against big tech as an “interesting balance.” Hunt doesn’t support legislation that singles out TikTok, because she said other big tech companies like Meta pose similar concerns. She said politicians are drawn to TikTok in part because of its unique algorithm, which can show their content to millions of people without requiring paid promotion or an established following.

“Increasingly, it’s becoming the main source of news for most Americans,” Hunt said. “It’s really the place where people are. It’s where they’re engaged.”

https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/social-media/tiktok-ban-trump-video-account-donald-election-rcna168693

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